The professional teams Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby remain provincial sides based on the traditional districts.

[1] The District system began in Scotland in 1872 with the world's first provincial match, the 'Inter-City'.

Only stopping due to world war or occasional severely inclement weather the Inter-City was absorbed into the Scottish Inter-District Championship in season 1953–-54.

By 1890, the South is noted as playing Edinburgh District in December of that year.

Thus, after the West - East fixture was introduced, the Inter-City match became an annual event from 1876–77 season onwards.

[12] However, the Scottish Rugby Union later standardised the trial matches outwith geographical districts from 1934–35 season onwards.

There was usually a Blues Trial versus Whites Trial match where the possible candidates for international selection were represented; then a second final trial match where a typical Scotland Probables line-up would play the Scotland Possibles in a 'probables versus possibles' or 'Scotland versus Rest of Scotland' match.

Gradually the West versus East trial match lost importance.

They would then play the 'Rest of Scotland' or a combined North-South team, usually known as the Provinces District side.

This essentially took the best players from the districts, usually to play international touring sides.

Gradually, however, the season's District matches settled on the 4 standard sides, although the Anglo-Scots were an increasing addition to the non-championship Inter-District matches and touring International teams were invariably entertained.

[28] When the Scottish Rugby Union adopted professionalism in 1996, it decided to professionalise the 4 standard district teams.